The Unspeakable Cardiac Unheard
by Wolfzen Skiigh
Summary: Clank has a nightmare about something unspoken. Somewhat short story.


The Unspeakable Cardiac Unheard

By Nathaniel Schrader

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Date: 2012 CE

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Clank sat with Nefarious, talking and discussing several ideas about life in general.

"I want to be happy," Nefarious spoke to Clank, smiling to the smaller Robot. Clank nodded, returning the smile warmly to his friend. They walked amongst crowds in front of the Great Library of Igliak, unnoticed and complacently admiring each other's company under a sunny sky mixed with shifting, turbulent clouds. Time was passing so quickly, Clank could tell, warped quietly in Its own web of order and balance.

"Do you remember when we first met? I don't recall being happier," Nefarious continued. Clank tilted his head as they walked, observing Nefarious.

"Are you going to stay?" Clank asked. Nefarious stopped walking, looking to his Robot friend.

"I think so. Can we go see Klunk? I wanted to invite him for lunch." Clank nodded, his purple friend beaming brightly. "Thank you."

Clank was glad to see Nefarious smiling so widely. As Clank looked away to see a group of Agorians walk past them on the crosswalk, distracted by the loud cheering they toted around with them, he came to realize that when he returned his eyes to Nefarious- the Robot was nowhere to be seen. He was alone, standing in the middle of the road. So very suddenly, all the people around were gone. He was isolated, a cold sadness rumbling in his chest where the warmth had stayed for too little time. His mind dreading an unfortunate feeling of being cast aside and left behind, Clank stood at the edge of the street, staring across the way. The Great Library stood without sound, the white clouds rushing overhead as if they were left to the work of a time exposure camera, meaningless to the expanse of Time, wasting away each second in futility.

He felt shocks run through him as he tasted something in his mouth. Putting his right hand up and tapping his bottom lip, he pulled away a sticky string of blood.

"I am not real…" He thought to himself: how did he not realize this sooner? The realization made his gears stutter in place, his eyes lowly and miserable. Without much feeling left in him, the tiny Robot dragged his feet over to the closest building, entering into an empty book store. Everything was stripped clean, shelves and all, yet nothing was damaged or dusty. This place was under renovations, he thought. He walked along the plush, old carpet down the center aisle, staring downwards as he crept along. He came to a large staircase that lead upstairs, big enough for two lanes of traffic. Clank crept up the stairs at his own pace, hauling his heavy body with each advancement upon the carpeted steps, the dark red and brown designs of rococo inlay giving way under him in squashing impressions. He could taste the blood dripping down his mouth, the sensation driving his senses insane. In an act of desperation he took a moment to stop on the stairs, taking his jaw off with a distinct snap. Blood gushed from his throat, spilling onto the floor and emptying from his gut. The feeling made him sigh in contentedness as the burning spread up and out of him, each spurt of dark blood leaving him heavier and more awake.

"I will tell an officer later of what I have done to this staircase," Clank spoke, attaching his jaw back on. He felt much better, removing his metal feet from the now soaked puddle of stewing blood staining the carpet. The wet squish made him feel ill until he touched the dry stairs again, his mind suddenly hosting logical thoughts. Touching the top step, the Robot came to face a wall of bookshelves, all full and packed, vividly assorted through hues of faded hues, a rainbow of dusty tomes. Turning, he saw opposite of him was a seating area, already occupied. Sitting in lavish, old leather chairs of red cushions were Lombaxes, one of which he knew and became wrecked with terror to see. He ogled in terrified anxiety upon Alister Azimuth, speaking with other Lombaxes in armor. Aside them was a fireplace, burning bright and rigged with a separate top with a tea kettle. Each Lombax had a cup, laughing and drinking, ignorant of Clank. Yet, as Alister's eyes met Clank's, he knew that he had been expected.

Driven by a will he could only identify as rage, Clank went around the staircase and approached the Lombaxes, the bright sunny day behind them shining through an entire length of wall windows, stretching from floor to ceiling.

"Why are you here?" Clank snarled to the Lombax General. Alister kept his smile, not flinching.

"Why is Ratchet still alive? Are you cheating? You're really a monster. I don't have time to talk to disgusting little Robots," Alister scoffed. His company of Lombaxes snickered at Clank with the insults, the Robot's fists quivering.

"We buried you!" Clank fought, gritting his gray teeth together. "I watched Ratchet dig a hole for you! We even buried you at your court on Fastoon, right outside the gate! Why are you here!?"

"I never died. You're lying just as you always do. The Clock worked just fine for reversing time." Alister turned to his friends. "Do you remember Kaden? I stopped the heart of his son and this heap of metal trash revived him all for himself. He didn't even tell Ratchet what I had done and then tried to kill me." Clank's eyes narrowed as he took a shaky step forward.

"I did not tell him anything because it never happened!"

"You broke the rules, Clank. Your dad would be so upset that you used the Clock to your own gain. He died for that Clock, you know."

"You have no permission to speak!" Clank yelled, hearing his own rage for the first time in a very long time. It startled him, but he could not back out of his conversational standoff.

"What if Ratchet should have died? What if he was willing to, for the Lombaxes? His real family, Clank. You just didn't want him to see anyone, did you?" Alister pushed as his tail casually flicked from side to side.

"You killed him!"

"And what about when he dies for good? No re-do's… What if that happens? How do _you_ know the natural course of things?"

"I will never let him die by anyone's hands, Alister," Clank growled. Alister's friends whispered to each other.

"Did you hear that? He's just as selfish as Alister said…" the red hued Lombax spoke. The other, tan toned Lombax nodded his head, looking astonished and disgusted towards Clank.

"You're so sure about that… You're disgusting. You control so much of Ratchet's life. Do you think you own him?" Clank felt his body burning up, his mouth seeming to rust with each moment passing. "You do think that, don't you? I'm going to go talk to him and tell him what you said."

"Clank?" In a moment's hush, the Robot heard a voice amongst the despair. He ogled Alister in submissive despair, falling to his knees. "Clank?" The calling was louder, but now his legs were locked, his head tilted down to the floor, staring into the carpet as he felt the eyes of others on his back, the sounds of breathing surrounding him.

Clank's eyes flicked open fast enough to make a clicking snap, his body suddenly thrashing for just a moment as though he had just fallen several feet to the ground. He felt pressure all around him, soft, warm fur embracing his person, holding him still. The breathing was there but singular, ever so gently running down his back in warm exhales. His head was buried in white fur and, as he pulled back, met Ratchet's eyes in the dark bedroom.

"Hey… are you okay? You were really twitching a lot," the Lombax spoke, his voice groggy and dryly tired. Clank was silent, mortified by the feelings still inside him, lingering and entirely undesirable. Ratchet looked legitimately concerned despite his sudden awakening, almost spooked by how his friend had been, frankly, twitching and flailing in bed, throwing his arms everywhere and kicking his legs. "Clank?" He asked for the Robot's response again, really becoming worried with his voice rising a little. The Robot stared at Ratchet until his expression started to falter, all the horrible ideas of his nightmare soaking into his mind. He did not cry like an organic creature, but every point of illumination on him started to flicker, from his antennae to his eyes. It started in a little flash until he started to lose his lights entirely, the dark hollow holes of his eyes flashing between a dim green and occasional normal green, but the effect was clear to Ratchet.

"Oh god… come here." The Lombax promptly pulled Clank in closer, holding him to his bosom tightly, gently pressing his hand against the back of the Robot's cranium and stroking it up and down. Clank did not cry or sob, but the flickering made Ratchet so upset that it almost broke his nerves, already frayed from the immediate awakening and his now direly upset friend. "It'll be okay… It was just a dream. It's not there anymore." He felt Clank wrap his hands around his back, clinging tightly as the metal dug into his flesh a little bit, but Ratchet couldn't have cared less. He continued stroking the Robot's head, using the flat of his palm to caress his friend's back as gently as he could. He could hear the humming from inside Clank stutter with each flicker of light; he could feel it somewhat through his chest, too, as the Robot clung and pressed into him.

The two lay there together, Ratchet noting that it was about five in the morning. He couldn't tell if Clank was still asleep, but the Lombax could feel sleep pulling at him. Clank was not one to talk much when he was upset; Ratchet did the only thing he knew would help and kept Clank close, arms wrapped entirely around the small Robot. He felt his eyes shut on their own but tried to keep them open, not wanting to fall asleep when Clank needed him most. He rubbed at Clank's back more before finally keeping his eyes closed.

As the morning light crept its blue spackles across the distant horizon, Clank found himself alone in Ratchet's arms, the Lombaxe's breathing becoming distinctly automatic and soft as he slept. Clank was still flickering as he kept himself locked within Ratchet's arms. He felt his face become ridden and heavy with sorrow as he recalled the events at the Clock. He could not bear to remember. He could still hear Alister roaring at Ratchet and the sickening sizzle of negatively charged plasma breaking Ratchet's anatomy apart without any protection. Clank's hands were shaking as his senses and logical demeanor failed to recover, his fingers curling around Ratchet's sides and taking in each degree of warmth from his fur, feeling each pulse of blood and energy across the entire Lombaxe's body as sparks flared and quieted down. Ratchet… is alive. The dream seemed to have little consequence as he repeated that idea again and again, affirming each of the three words. _Ratchet is alive._ That was all that mattered to him. He felt exhausted as his grip on Ratchet weakened, lost to the comfort his love brought him.

Finally, the room was alit warmly with the glow of the rising sun, Clank asleep with his head against Ratchet's chest. Each heartbeat, healthy and loud, reached into the core of the Robot's mind; no nightmares dared to return.


End file.
